Story by Grace Sibanda
IRRIGATION is changing the face of tomato and potato farming in Matabeleland South Province as the country pursues national food security in the face of climate change.
In the heart of the dry and heat-prone Beitbridge in Matabeleland South province, Magwamasi Farm is an oasis of vegetation and animal life.
The farm, which sits on 2000 hectares, boasts of 1000 hectares of dragon fruit that is destined for export markets, 10 hectares of tomatoes, 60 hectares of potatoes, and a herd of 500 cattle.
Farm owner, Elani Watson is indebted to irrigation and modern farming methods for the remarkable success, “We use micro jets and drip irrigation for our tomatoes and potatoes. Despite the rains not being there we have realised that irrigation is the way to go because hunger does not wait for rains, hence we must incorporate all practices known to us to get good yields for our communities. We are anticipating exporting dragon fruit which we have been farming on 1,000 hectares of land and we have seen that the fruit strives very well in dry regions, hence we are doing our best as farmers to find what works best for our region to ensure that we are food secure. Our tomatoes go as far as Mbare all because of the irrigation systems we have here.”
Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Honourable Davis Marapira, who toured the farm this Wednesday was impressed by how land and water are being put to good use in Matabeleland South province.
“We are very much impressed with what is taking place here because we see that these farmers are making good use of land. The Beitbridge area is good for citrus farming, and we are witnessing a unique dragon fruit crop that is being watered with microjets and needs less water. We are also witnessing good winter tomato crops which we encourage our farmers to do especially if they have water so that when winter comes, we are ready, hence we are encouraging our farmers to get in tune with irrigation because that is the way to go to ensure food security,” he said.
Irrigation and incorporation of modern agricultural practices have been identified as crucial to national food security and economic development as the country journeys towards an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
